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Comment by MeinBlutIstBlau | Hacker News Reader

This just means that if these laptops are going to have Windows 11, they need to have a camera. It's not that the OS will not work without it. It's just MS saying, "You need a camera on your laptop." It's no different than all Macbooks having a camera, except Microsoft is dictating the OEM market needs to adhere to that standard.

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You’re exactly right in your statement. But of all the experiences they could control, the most important is a webcam?

That webcam is placed on an OS known for intrusive advertising and data collection, with OEMs known for pushing pre-installed software that’s invasive, if not full-blown malware.

You’re exactly right about the facts. The problem is the perception of the theme here.

I'm fairly certain that the reason for it has more to do with standardizing laptops to always have webcams and that it's expected now that work from home is a more commonly accepted thing. Also every phone has a camera. It's not like this is a new concept in hardware requirements.

Requiring cameras to laptops sounds like a better feature than having to waste time finding out "does it have a camera." Especially ensuring they have to be hi-res. Phones have had cameras forever. I don't get how the expectation that a laptop should not have a camera. It's not like it's any more invasive than the geolocation data google siphons constantly.

This is most certainly a security initiative to standardise biometrics (Windows Hello). Windows wants everyone to use their “FaceID” because it’s more secure.

I'll believe that biometric security measures are more secure when they are fully protected under the Fifth Amendment, rather than by a few shaky court cases that could be overturned.

https://slate.com/technology/2019/01/fifth-amendment-biometr...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2019/01/14/feds-...

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